Chicken Pox
by Topher girl
Summary: I think the title says it all, huh...? ;)


Author: Gemini

Email: gemini_t70s@yahoo.se

Disclaimer: I don't own That '70s Show or any of the characters.

Title: CHICKEN POX

Point Place, Wisconsin

November 1977

1.

For ninety minutes the history teacher had made his sophomore class watch a documentary filmstrip about the Civil war. 

The filmstrip was so incredibly boring, that the entire class sat and yawned and squirmed on their seats, trying really hard not to fall asleep. 

One of the students had actually fallen asleep: 

Eric Forman's head rested on his desk, and his eyes were closed.

"Man, this is so boring, I actually feel an urge to kill myself..." Steven Hyde 

whispered to Michael Kelso.

"Yeah, I totally agree." Kelso agreed.

"No talking in class!" the teacher said. He sounded angry. "Be quiet, and watch the movie!"

"Hey, guys, you gotta check this out..." Hyde whispered to Kelso, Donna, Jackie and Fez. "Forman is asleep!"

Kelso, Donna, Jackie and Fez looked at Eric and laughed quietly. 

But not quiet enough... 

The teacher glared angrily at them. 

"I said no talking in class!" he roared. "When I say 'No talking' I really mean 

NO talking! And no laughing! Got it?"

"Sorry..." Hyde and Kelso mumbled.

The history teacher was the most hated teacher at Point Place High School, and the students feared him. Not only because he looked scary, and was a very tall man (6' 7").   
No, it was more because he always was angry at something, or somebody. 

Rumors said it was mostly because he always had wanted the position as the school's principal, but would probably never get it. 

Besides always being angry, he loved to boss people around, and practically scare them half to death. 

Everyone (except the school's principal) at Point Place High School was afraid of him. Over the years as a teacher he had actually made several students - and even teachers - cry. 

And the student's parents used avoid him whenever they came to visit the school.

Ironically the history teacher's name was Mr. Tyrant.   
So, of course, the kids at Point Place High used to call him "The Tyrant" behind his back.

Mr. Tyrant now noticed that Eric was asleep. 

The Tyrant's stern face turned dark red with fury. He gritted his teeth. 

No one in the class had a chance to warn Eric now. 

Because with quick, angry steps Mr. Tyrant walked up to Eric's desk. 

It was almost like watching an angry rhinoceros ready to attack. And it had been a funny thing to see - if Mr. Tyrant hadn't been so furious... and creepy.

Hyde carefully made sure that The Tyrant didn't look at his direction, and then he doodled a little mad rhinoceros on his desk. Kelso saw it, and laughed quietly to himself.

Mr. Tyrant, who now looked insane with anger, stopped in front of Eric, and then... 

BANG! 

He slammed his huge palms on Eric's desk. 

The earsplitting thump made the class jump in their seats. 

The class felt really sorry for Eric. They wondered what Mr. Tyrant would do to him now... 

Nervously their looks moved from Mr. Tyrant to Eric.

Startled, Eric looked up. 

"Uh... What...?" he said, as innocent as he could. 

Then he realized who was standing in front of him. 

Uh-uh... Eric though. Trouble... 

"What...?" Mr. Tyrant mocked. 

Fuming, he stared down at unfortunate Eric, and then he yelled in a freaky 

military manner: 

"YOU ARE SLEEPING IN MY CLASS, ERIC FORMAN!" 

The class jumped in their seats again. But Eric just kept looking at Mr. Tyrant. 

The class was amazed over how calm Eric was.

"Sorry, sir..." Eric mumbled, and quickly he clasped his hand over his mouth as he yawned. 

Donna, who was Eric's girlfriend, sat next to Eric. She gave Eric a sympathy 

look, and then she reached for him and began to stroke him over his back tenderly. 

Mr. Tyrant shot Donna a very annoyed glare. Donna just calmly pretended she 

didn't see that. 

Mr. Tyrant turned to Eric again. 

"Forman, why were you sleeping in my class?" he demanded.

"I... I... don't know..." Eric mumbled, ashamed and anxious.

"OK, fine..." Mr. Tyrant said. 

He sounded so calm, and it scared the class. 

They had a bad feeling that something bad could happen now. 

Once The Tyrant had given the entire class detention for two hours, just because two of the kids had come a few minutes late to his period.

Now Mr. Tyrant walked over to the film projector. (He didn't rhino rush this time.) 

"Here's what we will do:" he continued. "Since no one in this class has paid any 

attention at all to this movie, you all have to see it again."

The classed moaned loudly. 

"Oh no! Not the boring movie again...!" Fez said. 

Luckily Mr. Tyrant didn't hear him.

Mr. Tyrant seemed very pleased with his decision.   
With an evil grin on his face, he restarted the Civil War film and looked at the class. 

"Who knows, maybe you oblivious adolescents can stay focused, and learn something this time. But I really doubt that."

Eric looked sick now. He got up from his chair. 

"Excuse me..." he moaned, and hurried for the toilet.

"Dude!" Kelso exclaimed. "This boring movie made Eric hurl!"

"QUIET! Mr. Tyrant yelled.

Kelso gulped.

Mr. Tyrant sat down at his desk and began to scribble something down on a piece of paper. 

No one in the class dared say a word - or even move - for the rest of the period. 

When Mr. Tyrant was done writing, he walked over to Donna and slammed the note 

down on her desk. 

"You, give this to Forman!" he demanded.

"Consider it done." Donna said, coolly. She took the note.

The bell finally rang.

"Class dismissed!" Mr. Tyrant said.

When the gang stood outside their lockers, Eric came up to them. 

Donna handed him Mr. Tyrant's note.

"Love letter from the Tyrant," she joked.

Eric resignedly took the note and red it out loud:

TO THE LEGAL GUARDIANS OF ERIC FORMAN: 

I'M WRITING WITH REASON THAT ERIC FELL ASLEEP IN MY CLASS TODAY. 

I DO NOT TOLERATE SUCH DISOBEDIENCE. 

SO UNTIL I COME UP WITH AN APPROPRIATE PUNISHMENT 

I HOPE YOU COULD TALK TO ERIC ABOUT THIS.

REGARDS, GREGOR TYRANT

POINT PLACE HIGH SCHOOL

"What a dilhole...!" Donna said.

"Mr. Tyrant's first name is Gregor...?!" Hyde laughed, when Eric was done 

reading. 

He took the note from Eric. 

"Gregor - the Tyrant."

Eric didn't laugh. He still looked sick, and he worried about how his parents 

would react when they got the note.

"Red is going to kill me when he finds out." Eric sighed.

"Eric, it was that stupid, boring movie's fault that you fell asleep - not 

yours." Kelso tried to help.

"Get my dad to believe that." Eric sighed.

"Hey, guys..." Hyde said, with a huge grin on his face. "We have a teacher named 

GREGOR!" 

He leaned against his locker and exploded with laughter. Donna nudged him. 

"What?" Hyde snapped.

"Shut up. He's coming over there!" Donna warned.

Mr. Tyrant looked at them, and the gang hurried out to the parking lot. 

They didn't feel like to get in more trouble with The Tyrant.

  
2.

After school the gang sat in the Forman's basement, as they usually did. 

For some odd reason - that nobody else in the gang could understand - Hyde was 

still amused by the Gregor thing. He red the note over and over while he chuckled. 

Eric on the other hand was really under the weather now. 

His eyes were glassy and his nose was stuffy. He had sneezed all the way home 

from school.

"Maybe you're getting the flu." Donna said. She put her hand on Eric«s forehead. 

"Whoa, honey, you are burning up!"

"Great..." Eric quipped.

"Maybe we should put you to bed." Donna suggested.

"OK." Eric agreed. He sounded really tired.

"OK," Fez said. "Come on guys, let's go."

Donna rolled her eyes. 

"Not you Fez!" she snapped. "Just me."

Donna snatched the note away from Hyde, and then she helped Eric stand up. 

"Can I have a copy of that note?" Hyde asked.

Donna hit him in the head.

"Come on Eric."

Together Donna and Eric walked up to Eric's room.

In Eric«s bedroom Donna tucked Eric in.

"Get well soon, honey." she said, and kissed him on the forehead.

They heard Eric's mom, Kitty, from downstairs.

"Hello everybody! I'm home!" she called.

She got no answer.

"Where is everybody?" she wondered.

"Up here, Mrs. Forman! In Eric's room." Donna answered. "Eric is sick."

Kitty rushed up the stairs to her son's bedroom.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked, worried.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Forman. I think it's a cold." Donna said calmly. 

Kitty sighed, relieved.

Donna turned to Eric. 

"Eric, I have to leave now, but I will come over tomorrow to check on you, OK?"

"OK..." Eric sounded gloomy.

"Bye sweetie."

"Bye." Eric said.

Donna left the room.

"Uh... Mom..." Eric began.

"Yes, honey?" Kitty said.

Eric hesitated for a second, but then he gave his mom the note from Mr. Tyrant. 

"My teacher wanted you to have this," he said with a deep sigh. 

The piece of paper was now pretty soft, and wrinkly, because Hyde had red it so many times.

Kitty took the wrinkly note from Eric, and gave it a weird look. 

"Honey, why is this note so...?" 

"Don't ask." Eric said with a sigh.

Kitty took a look at the note. 

"Appropriate punishment...?" She frowned. "Who do he think he is?"

"He is the worst teacher ever." Eric told her. "Everybody is afraid of him. He's freaky."

"Don't you worry, honey," Kitty said. "I will call this stupid man and tell him 

why you fell asleep. Or even better: I'll have your father call him tonight!" 

Kitty red the note one more time. 

"Gregor Tyrant?! What kind of a name is that?" 

She looked at Eric and laughed. Eric just gave her a weak smile.

***  
  
When Red Forman, Eric's father, came home later that evening Kitty told him that 

Eric was sick. And then she showed him the teacher's note.

"What kind of a dumb-ass is this?!" Red exclaimed, when he had red the note. 

"Where is Eric?"

"Eric is asleep." Kitty said. "But, Red, you must go easy on Eric. The poor boy 

is sick and..."

Red stared at his wife. 

"Kitty, this is not Eric's fault," he said. "The boy is a good student. But this 

teacher seems to be a real dumb ass! I'm calling him right away."

Kitty found the school's phone number in her phone book, and gave it to Red.

Red's angry phone call to Mr. Tyrant woke Eric up. 

Despite the fact that Red was in the kitchen, and Eric was upstairs in his room - sleeping! 

Sleepily Eric dragged himself down to the kitchen.   
He was barefoot, and had his pajamas on. His dark brown hair was a mess, and his eyes were bloodshot and 

glassy.

"Eric!" Kitty exclaimed. "What are you doing up? You should be in bed!"

"I was in bed, but I heard screaming." Eric said and yawned.

Red hung up the phone and looked at his son. 

"I was talking to your teacher, Eric. He will not give you a punishment."

"Thanks dad." Eric said. 

Eric felt so relieved. And also surprised. 

Red Forman frequently had bad temper and was usually very tough and difficult 

with his son.

"Eric, go back to bed." Kitty demanded.

"Alright, mom." 

Eric was on his way upstairs, when his father stopped him.

"Son, if you ever fall asleep in school again you can be sure that my foot will kick your ass!"

This was Red Forman in a nutshell.

"It will never happen again." Eric assured him.

  
[ERIC: Wow, Dad was so cool about The Tyrant's note!   
You know, I really expected Dad would be mad at me   
and kick my ass and stuff...]

3.

Eric had a shock when he looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror the next morning:   
His face was covered with red spots! 

No way, Eric thought. This can't be true!

He screamed in horror. 

Kitty and Red came running to the bathroom. 

"Eric, why are you screaming?!" his father asked.

"Look at me!" Eric moaned.

"Oh, don't worry, honey," his mother said calmly. "It's just the chicken pox."

"The chicken pox?!" Eric whined. "I can't go out like this!"

"You are not going out, honey." his mother told him. "You have to stay in bed 

for a couple of days."

"Chicken pox...!" Eric repeated. 

He couldn't believe he had come down with a disease like this. 

"But, isn't it a kids disease?"

"Not only children get it." Kitty explained. "Besides, you didn't have it when 

you were a kid, so..."

Eric's older sister Laurie came out from her room.

"Why are people screaming?" she asked, grumpily. "I'm trying to sleep here."

Then she noticed Eric. She started to laugh. 

"What happened to him?!"

"Chicken pox." Red said, smirking.

"Do you have spots all over?" Laurie teased Eric.

"Shut up!" Eric hissed at her.

"But does he have spots all over?" Laurie prompted.

"Probably, yes." Kitty said.

Laurie laughed.

"Mom...!" Eric said, embarrassed.

"Back to bed, young man." Kitty told Eric. "I'll get some calamine lotion for 

you."

Laurie was still laughing.

"You won't laugh when you get this, Laurie!" Eric grumbled, and pointed at the 

spots on his face.

"I won't get the chicken pox, little brother," Laurie said. "I had it when I was 

little. Mom and I had it when you and dad where on that fishing trip ten years ago."

"Damn!" Eric said, visibly upset.

"Eric, go back to bed." his mom ordered him.

The doorbell rang downstairs.

"I'll get it!" Laurie said.

"No!" Eric said. 

Still laughing, Laurie rushed down to open the front door.

"Great..." Eric sighed. "It's Donna. Now Laurie will tell her about the chicken 

pox."

"She will find out anyway, honey." Kitty said. 

Kitty went to the bathroom and opened the bathroom cabinet and pulled out a 

bottle of calamine lotion and a thermometer.

"Eric, to bed. Now!" Kitty gently pushed Eric to his bed. "Lay down, honey."

Eric reluctantly did as his mother told him. 

Kitty tucked him in, and put the thermometer in his mouth. 

"Don't move now, honey. I'll be right back with some juice for you."

  
Red was waiting outside Eric's room. Kitty almost started to cry when she came 

out to him. 

"My baby is sick..." she said and snuffled.

"For God's sake, Kitty, it's just the chicken pox!" Red said.

"I know." Kitty said. Her eyes filled with tears now. "But he looks so sick and sad. And little."

"He's just a little speckled - not dying." Red said.

But Kitty ignored her husband's insensitive remark and walked down to the kitchen to get some juice for Eric.

  
Laurie walked in to Eric's room. She looked at her brother and giggled. 

"You know, I can't wait to see you go crazy when those pox starts to itch." she 

teased. "That will probably happen tomorrow - when the blisters breaks open. 

Eric gave his sister an irritated look. 

Laurie continued to tease him:

"It's terrible, Eric. You will scratch like crazy, and then you'll be 

scarred..."

"Can it Laurie!" Eric growled, with the thermometer in his mouth. 

He felt miserable, and Laurie's teasing didn't make him feel any better.

"Oh, by the way, Eric; Donna will come over after school to look at you." Laurie told him.

Eric just glared annoyed at his sister.

Kitty came back with orange juice for Eric. 

"Here's the juice, honey. It's important that you drink a lot, now when you're 

sick."

Kitty put the glass, with smiley faces, on Eric's nightstand. Then she took the thermometer from Eric's mouth and looked at it. 

"Eric, you have fever. 103 degrees. Oh... my poor baby. You should get some sleep." 

Kitty kissed him on the head and walked out of his room.

"Hey, baby, you look cute in chicken pox." Laurie said with a teasing laugh.

"OUT!" Eric yelled.

"Laurie, leave your brother alone!" Kitty demanded.

Laurie blew Eric a kiss and skipped out of his room.

[ERIC: Can you believe it: Chicken pox...! Hey, don't laugh! 

It's got to be the most embarrassing disease ever! 

I'm 17 - and I came down with a damn kids disease. 

And my stupid sister thinks it's really funny that I have red spots all over. I think Dad finds it funny too.]

4.

Later that day the gang came up to Eric's room to look at him. 

Kitty let them in.

They all had got the chicken pox as kids, so it was totally safe for them to 

visit Eric. 

"Eric is in his room." Kitty told them. "You can go up to him." 

"What chicken gave Eric chicken pox?" Kelso asked.

Kitty gave him a strange look. The gang just ignored him, and went upstairs. 

Kelso hurried after them. 

"You didn't answer my question!" he said.

Upstairs Donna knocked at Eric's door. 

"Eric, it's us. Can we come in?"

"No!" they heard Eric protest form the other side of the door. "I look terrible!"

"Why, do you look like a chicken?" Fez asked.

"What...?!" Eric said.

"Don't mind him, Forman." Hyde said. "Hey, we're coming in now."

Before Eric had an opportunity to object again, the gang opened the door, and entered his room.

"Hi sweetie." Donna said. She sat down on Eric's bed. "How are you?"

"Duh-huh!" Kelso said, as if Donna was the dumb one. "He has red spots in his face!"

Donna rolled her eyes. 

"I can see that, stupid!" 

Donna turned to Eric again. 

"Eric, we told everybody at school that you got the flu."

Eric sighed, grateful. "Thanks."

"Eric, what chicken gave you chicken pox?" Kelso asked.

Eric just looked at him, deadpanned.

"You don't get chicken pox from a chicken, stupid!" Jackie said.

"Oh yeah? Then why do they call it chicken pox?" Kelso asked.

"Who cares?" Jackie said. "Come on, Michael, we gotta go. We're gonna reorganize 

my room."

"We...?" Michael said. 

Reorganizing Jackie's room wasn't exactly what he wanted to do right now.

But Jackie refused to let Michael get away.   
She firmly grabbed his arm, and dragged him toward the door.

"Let's go, Michael!" she demanded. 

"But..." Kelso stuttered.

"Now Michael!" Jackie yanked his arm.

"Ow!" Kelso whined and tried to free his arm. 

But he didn't have a choice. He had to go with Jackie.

Donna turned to Hyde and Fez. 

"Can you guys leave too? I want to be alone with Eric."

"Alone, huh?" Hyde grinned. "Are you gonna do it with 'pox boy'...?"

"Get bent!" Donna hissed.

"What happened to your sense of humor?" Hyde asked.

"Out!" Donna demanded.

"OK, I'll go." Hyde said. "See you later alligators."

Hyde and Fez left Eric's room.

"Finally alone." Donna said, when the others had left. 

"Yeah," Eric said. "Alone with me - and gazillion of red, itchy spots." 

Eric raised his hand to scratch some of the spots in his face. But Donna grabbed his hands.

"Don't scratch!" she said.

"But, Donna, I'll go crazy if I can't scratch!" Eric complained.

To be continued...


End file.
